It was the usual lazy Sunday evening and Prabha, Padma, Kaushik got together for their Sunday evening chit-chat. They were discussing how Bridge environment in India is very noisy with people having heated emotional arguments all the time. Kaushik, who had played an international even, compared Indian environment to international tournaments. “There is pin drop silence. There are no arguments and director’s decisions are respected”.
He went on to elaborate how Zia and his team had a rule after every session. They had a pre-fixed team meeting point and they would discuss the deals in soft tones and finish discussion in 10 minutes – No arguments, just discussions. When they played in India, the environment was so noisy that they had great difficulty in finding a spot to discuss and went to a secluded corner far away from the playing area where the noise was less.
Padma said that even in trains, buses and other public places, people never talked softly. It is always loud – Apart from disturbing everyone around, the entire discussion became public information. Kingo said that it was important to give vent to your feelings and not hide your emotions all the time. Prabha had a more moderate view – While everyone can express their views, why should they yell about it and not talk in a softer tone.
Padma said it is a matter of how you have been brought up. This is shown in longevity of bridge partnerships in India. While India does poorly on bridge partnerships, India is much better in life partnerships. This is due to our upbringing and our ability to adjust and move on in life partnerships. We need to bring the same level of commitment in Bridge partnerships also.
Kaushik wanted to make a point. He said that statistics has proven that arguments result in generating more heat than light. The rationale is simple – Arguments are based on proving who is right or wrong and discussions deal with what is right and wrong. The world will be a better place if we can have discussions and no arguments” However it is too idealistic.
Kingo concluded the discussion saying, “Most of the arguments between people, countries and groups are due to politics, religion or power struggle. If the world had no boundaries, one currency, no military and one religion, we would be living in a different world.
Tailpiece: Goofy liked the topic and wanted to add his two cents. We never discuss, we bark in unison. When we find an intruder, all of us start barking together. Well done, Goofy.
